luckily he didn’t have time to open his mouth. Ursula was faster again.
“Should we go out to eat or drink?”
“How about both?”
“Nice! You name the place.”
“No, you.”
“I think you should decide,” Ursula cooed into the microphone: “Since you’re the one asking me out.”
Koskinen grimaced to himself. Ulla, what have you gone and done now! However, he restrained himself.
“There’s this one Greek restaurant downtown on the river … by the rapids. They have pretty good food.”
“Nice ! Shall we meet there at, say, seven?”
Koskinen tried to remember what Ursula looked like. All he could conjure up were fire engine red lips and long, nice-looking legs.
“Yes, that works.”
“Nice! I’ll see you there then.”
Ursula hung up, and Koskinen headed into the hallway. He marched straight to the department secretary’s cramped cubicle.
“Did you leave this on my desk?” he said, waving the note in front of Milla’s frightened eyes.
“Yeah ... She called and asked—”
“I know,” Koskinen said, interrupting and at the same time realizing that he was getting worked up over nothing, again. He just couldn’t help it.
“Next time remember to add the name to the note !”
“Why?”
“So I know who I’m calling.”
Milla looked at Koskinen with her large, searching eyes, and then started rummaging in her handbag, which had been crocheted out of gaudy yarn. Koskinen was annoyed by and regretting his behavior again; the girl was probably looking for the resignation letter she had already typed up.
“Have you had time to go eat at all today?” she asked.
“Uh... N o, not yet,” Koskinen spluttered.
“Well, take this at least,” Milla said and offered him the chocolate bar she had found in her bag.
In his astonishment, Koskinen wasn’t able to do anything but thank her and return to the hallway. He walked with the chocolate bar in his hand toward his office and saw Sergeant Martti Meisalmi standing at his door.
“What’s up, Martti?”
“I need to talk to you about something.”
“Come on in,” Koskinen said, opening the door for Meisalmi. However, he raised his hand.
“I’m in kind of a hurry. Can we talk here?”
“Well?”
Meisalmi glanced down the hallway in both directions and then lowered his voice. “To put it bluntly, I’m pretty damn pissed off.”
Koskinen looked at Meisalmi in confusion. He had always considered him a calm man who chose his words carefully.
“What?”
“You gave one of my detectives to Pekki just as if my team didn’t have anything going on.”
“I didn’t mean that—” Koskinen started, but Meisalmi interrupted him immediately.
“ W e found out that the Ilves elevator rape is connected to that rape at the health spa in Pori.”
Koskinen remembered the case—a woman had been raped in the spa steam room right before closing time. The tabloids had plastered big headlines about it on the front pages for several days in a row. Everybody thought it was incomprehensible how the rapist had managed to disappear from the spa grounds without a trace.
“And I’m sure you know what that means,” Meisalmi said, his chin defiantly tilted to look the seven inches up to Koskinen’s eyes. “Knowing the Pori cops, we’ll get to do at least ninety percent of the investigation—and now I only have two men left. And besides, she’s the best possible person to interview the rape victims.”
Koskinen understood perfectly well. He scratched his stubble thoughtfully. “Narcotics has been pretty quiet lately, since they busted that ecstasy ring. Borrow Havia or Meresmaa from them.”
“They don’t know how to do anything but phone taps.”
“Well, then get someone from Lehmus’ gang transferred to you. They just have the search for that nail gun guy going on. There can’t be any rush on that.”
“There’s no way that’ll work,” Meisalmi said, shaking his head angrily. “Lehmus hangs on to his people like a wolf
“Should we go out to eat or drink?”
“How about both?”
“Nice! You name the place.”
“No, you.”
“I think you should decide,” Ursula cooed into the microphone: “Since you’re the one asking me out.”
Koskinen grimaced to himself. Ulla, what have you gone and done now! However, he restrained himself.
“There’s this one Greek restaurant downtown on the river … by the rapids. They have pretty good food.”
“Nice ! Shall we meet there at, say, seven?”
Koskinen tried to remember what Ursula looked like. All he could conjure up were fire engine red lips and long, nice-looking legs.
“Yes, that works.”
“Nice! I’ll see you there then.”
Ursula hung up, and Koskinen headed into the hallway. He marched straight to the department secretary’s cramped cubicle.
“Did you leave this on my desk?” he said, waving the note in front of Milla’s frightened eyes.
“Yeah ... She called and asked—”
“I know,” Koskinen said, interrupting and at the same time realizing that he was getting worked up over nothing, again. He just couldn’t help it.
“Next time remember to add the name to the note !”
“Why?”
“So I know who I’m calling.”
Milla looked at Koskinen with her large, searching eyes, and then started rummaging in her handbag, which had been crocheted out of gaudy yarn. Koskinen was annoyed by and regretting his behavior again; the girl was probably looking for the resignation letter she had already typed up.
“Have you had time to go eat at all today?” she asked.
“Uh... N o, not yet,” Koskinen spluttered.
“Well, take this at least,” Milla said and offered him the chocolate bar she had found in her bag.
In his astonishment, Koskinen wasn’t able to do anything but thank her and return to the hallway. He walked with the chocolate bar in his hand toward his office and saw Sergeant Martti Meisalmi standing at his door.
“What’s up, Martti?”
“I need to talk to you about something.”
“Come on in,” Koskinen said, opening the door for Meisalmi. However, he raised his hand.
“I’m in kind of a hurry. Can we talk here?”
“Well?”
Meisalmi glanced down the hallway in both directions and then lowered his voice. “To put it bluntly, I’m pretty damn pissed off.”
Koskinen looked at Meisalmi in confusion. He had always considered him a calm man who chose his words carefully.
“What?”
“You gave one of my detectives to Pekki just as if my team didn’t have anything going on.”
“I didn’t mean that—” Koskinen started, but Meisalmi interrupted him immediately.
“ W e found out that the Ilves elevator rape is connected to that rape at the health spa in Pori.”
Koskinen remembered the case—a woman had been raped in the spa steam room right before closing time. The tabloids had plastered big headlines about it on the front pages for several days in a row. Everybody thought it was incomprehensible how the rapist had managed to disappear from the spa grounds without a trace.
“And I’m sure you know what that means,” Meisalmi said, his chin defiantly tilted to look the seven inches up to Koskinen’s eyes. “Knowing the Pori cops, we’ll get to do at least ninety percent of the investigation—and now I only have two men left. And besides, she’s the best possible person to interview the rape victims.”
Koskinen understood perfectly well. He scratched his stubble thoughtfully. “Narcotics has been pretty quiet lately, since they busted that ecstasy ring. Borrow Havia or Meresmaa from them.”
“They don’t know how to do anything but phone taps.”
“Well, then get someone from Lehmus’ gang transferred to you. They just have the search for that nail gun guy going on. There can’t be any rush on that.”
“There’s no way that’ll work,” Meisalmi said, shaking his head angrily. “Lehmus hangs on to his people like a wolf
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